Improvement in steps for berths



SARAH E; SIEGEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

,IMPROVE'MENT IN STE-PS FOR BERTHS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 128,761,

SPECIFICATION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SARAH E. SIEGEL, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extensible or Drop Steps to facilitate the getting in and out of the upper berths of steamboats, railroad sleeping-cars, and other places where elevated sleepingberths are used; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full description of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in combining with a sleeping-berth an extensible or drop step, so arranged on the outside or inside of its front rail, or to the bottom board of the berth, that when required for use it may be extended or dropped down on a line with the front of the berth, and thus afford a safe and convenient foot-rest, intermediate between the upper and lower berth, to enable persons-especially old persons and ladiesto get in the upper berth with great facility and ease. But to describe my invention more particularly I will refer to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, the same letters of reference, wherever they occur, referring to like parts.

Figure 1 is a front view of an upper and lower berth, showing the step drawn up. Fig. 2 is the same view, showing the step dropped down. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the upper berth, showing a detent-spring for holding the step up. Fig. 4 is the same view, showing the step dropped down. Fig. 5 is a cut sectional view of the step and berths through the line :0 :12, Fig. 3.

Letter A represents the back, top, bottom, and foot and head boards of a section of sleeping-berths in a steamboat or railway car, and B and O the upper and lower berths. To the front of the upper berth is secured, by a centerpin, D, a hanger or plate of metal, E, having a step or foot-rest, F, hinged to its lower end, so that when the step is dropped down for/use the foot-rest will be extended at right angles to the hanger, and thus afford easy facility to get into the upper berth.

It will be obvious that the attaching of the hanger to the outer face of the, berth is not an absolute condition to the successful working of the step. To suspend it from the inside of the front rail of the berth or to the bottom of the rli dated July 9, 1872; antedated June 22, 1872.

berth will answer equally as well as to the outsideof the berth, and I contemplate applyin git in either of the several wayspractieable to do .so, according to the style and fittings up of the berths operated on. When the step is not required for use, or after the person has got into the berth, it is readjusted to its original position by any suitable means. As one of the simple and convenient ways of readjusting the step to its original position a cord, G, is passed through holes in the hanger and step and-the slack extended up and through rings H on the upper edge of the berth to the occupant thereof, so that after getting in the berth the hanger may be drawn up out of the way of the occupant of the lower berth and the step closed by the cord, and thus held securtly in its place till required again. As a means of holding the hanger up a spring-latch is proposed to be used, though this is not absolutely. necessary, as it may be held up by means of a loop formed in the cord, whereby it may hitch to any suitable button or hook secured to the wood-work of the berth. The method of making a spring-latch for holding up the hanger and step may be varied according to the place of attaching the step to the berth. As one of the ways in which this may be done, when the step is applied to the front of the berth alever, I, is secured to the bottom board of the berth, having at one end a handle, J, extending through the front of the berth, and at the opposite end of the lever a detent-latch, K, which also passes through the front of the berth so as to press against or engage under the end of the hanger when drawn up against the face of the berth. ,To make the detent act automatically a spring, L, made of rubber or other suitable material, is secured to the'back end of the detent, and arranged to react against a prop, M, secured to the bottom of the berth. By this means the detent is kept always distended, so as to detain the step instantly that it is drawn up by the occupant of the berth, and can be unlatched and dropped again for use by the simple drawing out of the handle at the outer end of the latch-lever. By the operation of the step it will be obvious that the front of the lower berth will be used as the first step, by which ascent is made to the upper berth, and the second by the drop-step, which, being proportioned to the space be- In combination with the pendant and its folding step, a cord, so arranged that, by pulling on the same, the step will be folded in, and it and the pendant then both drawn up in the manner described.

SARAH E. SIEGEL.

Witnesses:

CHARLES L. BARRITT, FRANKLIN BARRITT. 

